Upcoming Events
Wednesday, November 24 - Friday, November 26: No School, Holiday
Wednesday, December 8 - 5:30 - 7:00 pm: Parent Council Meeting
Thursday, December 16 - Friday, December 30 No School, Winter Break
Monday, January 3: No School, Teacher Work Day
Tuesday, January 4: School Resumes with normal schedule
Administrator's Message
Dear Village School Families,
We hope this message finds you and your family doing well and anticipating good times with family and friends. This time of the year reminds us all of the many things we are grateful for and allows us to be very intentional about sharing our gratitude with others. Like you, we look forward to taking the time to create a list of things we are grateful for and share them with the people close to us.
On a personal note we each are grateful for many people and things. In our professional work lives here at The Village School the four of us share gratitude for the following:
We are grateful for the support we all receive from our outstanding Village School Board board of directors and directors of The Village School Foundation.
We are grateful to be part of a team of 44 full and part-time employees that share in the mission of creating a safe and welcoming school environment for all children.
We are grateful for the parents and community members that find ways to volunteer and support our school even during this protracted pandemic.
We are grateful for the patience and forgiveness we receive as we work through imperfections.
We are grateful that our community is determined to work together to overcome unexpected challenges and obstacles in order to remain committed to our purpose to serve our students.
We hope you all have a wonderful time and that you each have a list of things you are grateful for. Enjoy the start of this holiday season, eat well, enjoy the outdoors and when the spirit moves you, find time for a good nap. Happy Thanksgiving!
Warmly,
Shannon, Sue, Andy, Bob
PS
Winter is coming. Please use a multi-layered approach to maintain health and safety protocols. Using all these layers is why transmission is low within the school setting. Please use them at home too. Layers of Safety. Please limit gatherings and non-essential activities. If you visit with folks outside of your household it is recommended to wear a mask and maintain social distance, especially if you are indoors.
PSS
Bob is especially grateful to the board and to Shannon, Sue and Andy. The board approved Bob’s request in August to share the job of principalship with Shannon and Sue due to his extenuating circumstances. He will continue to work remotely. He is deeply grateful for Shannon and Sue and the day to day leadership they provide on campus. (Does he miss being on campus? Yes, severely!) If you ever want to speak to Bob directly send an email and he will call you. If it is an emergency the office staff can reach him immediately.
Vaccines are now available for children:
Many pharmacies in Lane County are already taking appointments for children.
Lane County Public Health has a list of places to go and how to make appointments Covid-19 Vaccine for Children & Teens.
Please see the article below
Warmly,
The Village School Administrative Team
Bob, Andy, Shannon and Sue
Vaccination available for Ages 5-11
Lane County Public Health has a list of places to go and how to make appointments Covid-19 Vaccine for Children & Teens. The following venues are taking children's appointments:
Pharmacies: Costco CVS Fred Meyer Health Mart Rite Aid Safeway/Albertsons Walgreens Walmart.
Practices: Community Health Centers of Lane County* McKenzie Willamette Medical Center Oregon Integrated Health Oregon Medical Group White Bird Clinic
Lane County: Lane County Source to Vaccine Clinics.
8th Grade Wreath Sale!
The traditional 8th grade wreath sale is a go and this year it will be truly special! Instead of purchasing pre-made wreaths to sell, the eighth grade students have the incredible opportunity to take a swag and wreath making workshop led by Cecilia Story, a talented and experienced florist (and 8th grade mom). The students will be gathering to make beautiful swags and wreaths to sell to our community.
Please consider supporting our 8th grade class trip by purchasing a wreath or swag. Students will be selling these November 29-December 3, or until sold out. If you are interested in one but are unable to be on campus during those times, please contact Toña at 541-510-8604 or villagelunchlady@gmail.com before next Monday to reserve one.
Swags and wreaths will be available to purchase after school in the courtyard next week from 2:45-3:15. They will go fast!
Enrichments
Art With Frédérique
Frédérique did still life pastel drawings with the art enrichment classes. These are examples of the completed works from each middle school grade.
Sewing with Maestra Sarah
In the sewing enrichment, kids just finished working on (and modeling) pajama pants!
Afterschool Programming to Begin in January 2022
Village School staff are working on a schedule of after school classes to begin the first week of January after the break. Currently we are looking into providing classes in ceramics, art, robotics, creative writing, marimba and drama. We hope to have a schedule out in the next few weeks.
P-EBT Benefits for 2021-22
This year school meals are free for all students; however, P-EBT benefits worth roughly $1,000 per student are only available to families who qualify for federal free and reduced meals. We just were informed that the state of Oregon is currently applying to extend P-EBT benefits to the 2021-22 school year. Last year, the sooner families qualified, the greater were the benefits.
How to qualify?
Please submit your Free and Reduced Meal Application. If you qualify, your family will be included when we report this information to the state.
Other reasons to apply:
The more families that qualify for federal free and reduced meals, the more funding we receive for Title I small-group instruction in reading and math. These reading and math groups are vitally important for many of our students. Our funding can shift by as much as $30,000 depending on how many families apply.
Application:
Please complete the Free & Reduced Meals application. Apply either of 2 ways:
Download, fill out and return the following form. (Click here).
Complete the online version at https://www.ode.state.or.us/apps/frlapp.
Village School Kitchen
This past week we welcomed back student helpers. Every school afternoon, two different students come to the kitchen for about 45 minutes to help with various food service tasks. They get a chance to learn new skills, get an inside look into the workings of a commercial kitchen and support our efforts.
Luka and Hazel from the 5th grade were our first helpers of the 2021/2022 school year!
We faced a challenge today with three out of four of our regular Monday volunteers out for various reasons. That, coupled with our walk-in cooler going out over the weekend, meant we were feeling like it was the end of a long week, not the beginning of a short one. I put out a quick call for help on The Village Vine and we received so much amazing response that it brought tears to my eyes! This community is such a special one.
Thank you to Ann Moore, Ben Fogelson, Justin Francese, Jenny Jonak and Kevin Gillgooly for your generosity of spirit and time.
Clay's Refrigeration was able to get a technician out pretty quickly to replace the compressor which keeps our walk-in cooler cold. If anyone wants to help me plan a fundraiser to offset this unexpected and enormous cost, please let me know.
Thank you Josh from Clay's!
Enjoy the days of rest ahead. With gratitude, Warmly, Toña The Village School Eugene, Oregon w - 541-345-7285 c - 541-510-8604 taguilar@eugenevillageschool.org
5th Grade Fractions!
The 5th graders have been studying fractions. They recently worked in teams to create a map of landmarks along a 30km river trail. A runner has passed the second picnic area and is at the rest area right after that. The runner would like to know how far they have come from the start of the trail. Your answer must show the fractional amount of the trail as well as whole kilometers. Good luck!
Library News
Lost Library books
Recently several children have told me they may have lost their library books. When this happens I usually instruct them to tell a caregiver and to keep looking around their home or other places they may have taken it (vehicle, daycare, etc). If the library book(s) still cannot be found, contact me and I will let you know the cost of replacement, and you can pay the office. Once the book(s) are paid for, students can resume checking out books from the library. Please let me know if the cost is a hardship for your family and we can work something out. My goal is to maintain access to the library for all students as much as possible.
Here are some tips for helping keep track of library books:
- Check in with our child on their library day and find out what book(s) they brought home.
- Designate one spot in your home to keep them until your child is ready to return them. If you have many books from other libraries, it may help to keep them separate.
- It may work best for your child to choose (books) from the library but keep them at school in their desk or cubby.
Thank you for helping keep as many books available for our Village School community as possible!
Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB)
Meetings for Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) have started for grades 3-5. OBOB is a voluntary state-wide reading program in which children read from a list of 16 books, form teams, then "battle" against other teams by answering trivia questions from the books. In previous years, students formed teams and met outside the school day. This year, due to cohorting and social distancing requirements, interested students will meet in small groups with me in the library during the school day. Later in the winter we will be forming teams, and the school battles will take place in late February. The winning team will represent the Village School at a virtual regional tournament. The VS library has copies of the books, but students can also get print books, ebooks, and audio books through the Eugene Public Library. For more information about OBOB, please reference the OBOB website or feel free to contact me.
Molly Bautista, VS Librarian
LTD Passes Available! - Deadline Extended to December 30th
The Village School is working with 4j and LTD to make touchpasses available to Village School students!
(The deadline has been extended by LTD to December 30th account for the challenges they have had getting touchpasses out to schools and students)
If you have a child that does not attend Village School, please contact their school to see if they have touchpasses available for students. We are only able to provide passes to Village School Students.
Fill out the form below to sign up and provide permission for your Village School student to have a card. Then come into the office to have a card assigned to your child!
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!
Like Dorothy stepping from her front doorstep and into the land of Oz, the past year and a half has been like stepping into an unfamiliar land filled with unpredictability, unexpected friendships and many challenges; and like Dorothy, many of us are seeking a return to the familiar.
The Village School staff would like to lead you along the yellow brick road, bringing together our community with something purely fun and entertaining!
Each day you can listen to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, each chapter will be read by a different staff member (maybe your child can guess who is reading!)
The chapters are linked on the front page of The Village School Website so check back each day as our children, families and Village School community go on a journey together!
“The story of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.”
L. Frank Baum
Chicago, April, 1900.
Second Grade Lantern Walk
Second Graders decorated their lanterns for the traditional lantern walk.
December Parent Council
The next Parent Council Meeting will be Wednesday December 8th at 5:30 pm
Please join us for the last meeting of 2021 and send questions and ideas to parentcouncil@eugenevillageschool.org.
The notes from past meetings can be found here.
Every Village School parent and guardian is a part of Parent Council - The Virtual Parent Council Meetings are open to all parents and guardians on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.
You can also engage with Village School families on the Parent Council Facebook page, The Village Vine!
Don't forget to sign in to HelpCounter and report your hours so we can see the amazing contributions from our Village School Families
Wellness Resources - The Well
School Psychologist Kelly Korach created a wonderful resource for Village School families. Please check out The Well for wellness resources for parents and children!
